The Shadow Of The Past
by OurLittleCornerOfTheWorld
Summary: What do you really know what to expect when you go travelling in the forest, for Estel it is not something that he thought he would find.  Comfort and a friend but also love
1. Chapter 1

**The Shadow Of The Past**

Estel run as fast as his legs would carry him trying to get away from the men that he knew were following him. They had been ever since he had left Rivendell and it did not look like they were going to give up without a fight.

Looking behind him once more, Estel failed to notice the loose branch and fell over it landing onto his hands and knees with a crash that could have alerted the whole forest.

Crying out as he felt the the blood on his knees soaking through his tunic, he looked behind him to hear the voices around him, the men were closer, close enough to smell him and hear his laboured breathing.

"Please valar protect me" Estel whispered just as he heard the shout of one of the men.

"Fëanáro I have him" The man yelled grabbing onto Estel who cried out in pain once more as he felt his leg being jerked up despite the pain it held.

"F..." The first man's voice was caught off and he dropped Estel to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest.

Someone else was here too.

The other man Fëanáro came into view before bending down to Estel who tried to move away but it hurt too much so he just cried out again wondering how long it would be before someone nice would find him.

"What a pretty little thing" Fëanáro lent over before he too fell backwards an arrow in his chest.

"Who is there?" Estel asked to the empty forest wondering who it was that had saved him.

"Show yourself."

A figure stepped from beneath the trees and Estel had to stifle a gasp. This was an elf but not just any elf. This was a Woodland elf.

"What brings you to Rivendell young one?" The elf asked his bow still out pointed at him.

"I ran away. I am useless as a elf" Estel wept despite the fact that he was in-front of a stranger that he had just met.

"I wish not to think a human so useless of such things" The elf pointed out bending to his level so that Estel could now see the elf's face or rather the part's that weren't covered by a ugly looking mask. Blue eyes and a slight burn to his mouth.

He wondered what the elf's true face looked like. Estel stop this he shook himself of the thought watching as the elf straightened himself before holding out his hand for Estel to take.

"Come young one. We shall return you to Rivendell, I am sure someone will miss you" The elf dragged Estel to his feet but he shook his head.

He could not return his foster brothers and foster father would only merely laugh at him and his lack of confidence.

"I wish not to return there. I shall not be made fun off" Estel stood his ground waiting to see how the elf would react.

The elf laughed and nodded.

"Aye then you may travel with me, young one."

"I wish to and stop calling me young one I have a name, it is Estel."

"Hope in the language of the elf's."

"Well Estel you may call me..."

"Estel caught off the elf knowing the name he would rather use.

"I wish to call you Greenleaf, your hair is unlike any I have witnessed" Estel smiled at his new found name for Greenleaf.

It was the best he could come up with especially when his mind was running so fast around his brain that he found it hard to think right.

"Greenleaf. Aye my father used to call me that before..."

Greenleaf cut off not wishing to say any more before turning and walking away allowing Estel to follow.

He had to admit, Greenleaf was mysterious but he trusted the older elf.

Soon Estel had had enough of walking and flopped down onto the grass, his knees still hurt and the palms of his hands gave him pain whenever he clenched or swayed them.

Greenleaf stopped where he was turning back to the small human.

"I wish to stop, I am sore" Estel moaned glaring at how Greenleaf chuckled at his pain.

"I shall carry you" Greenleaf bent down scooping Estel into his arms before placing him over his back.

"Put me down" Estel screamed kicking out at the older elf he did not wish to be carried around like a small child that could not do anything by himself. He was not a child.

"Put me down" Estel screamed again hopping that this would stop Greenleaf but all it did was knock the mask from the elf's face.

Estel looked twice at the elf's face wondering why the elf hid it so much there was a long scar and some burns on the face but apart from that it was nothing bad.

It wasn't like he was ugly or anything, in-fact, Estel thought that Greenleaf looked nice.

Well nice enough for a stranger.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Once Greenleaf had put him down, the first thing he did was retrieve his mask from the ground hiding his face behind it once more and Estel had to shake his head slightly to stop himself from telling the elf to leave the mask off.

He had a feeling it would not go down well with Greenleaf and he had a feeling he had made a sort of friend with him and so hopped for this friendship to last, for if it didn't then he would most cerentialy be left all by himself in a wood where he knew of nowhere nearby that he could go.

"What makes you so quite, young Estel" Greenleaf's voice seemed to come out of nowhere making Estel jump as he had been getting used to the quietness of listening to the woods and now he would have to speak.

"It may only be that I know not where you come from nor your true name" Estel replied back in a hurry scared that he may upset his new found friend if he asked too much in one day.

"My story, stays a long one. I shall speak no more of it this night" Greenleaf continued to walk on as if Estel had not said anything at all whilst the boy hurried after him thinking that he had done something wrong to make Greenleaf so quiet about where he came from.

After a few hours and as the sun was beginning to set in the sky for another night, Greenleaf stopped walking in one direction sharply turning and heading another way so Estel had to spin round too almost fall on his backside but catching himself and looking at the rock face that stood in-front of them like a home.

Maybe this was where Greenleaf lived, but why did he not want to tell Estel about this, he always wanted to do something adventurous and sleep out in caves then jump into a tree or do something else that might be fun.

Greenleaf stepped inside the cave as soon as he reached it and Estel followed not having to bend his body slightly like the older elf had to do, he was certainly not as tall as the elf.

"This may be my humble home" Greenleaf said sitting beside a burned out fire in the middle of the cave before beginning to light it with a couple of rocks together which eventually gave off a light.

"Come and sit" Greenleaf beckoned Estel over who obliged sitting down opposite the elf hopping to hear maybe some nice stories about his life but none of that came, instead he said.

"Why do you really run from what you are, Aragorn" Estel stopped his eyes staring un-blinkly at Greenleaf who looked straight back at him.

How did this elf know his true name, he had been told that not many knew his true indenty and he wouldn't have thought that a nobody like Greenleaf would know it.

"I apologize but how do you come to know of my name?" Estel asked causing Greenleaf to laugh suddenly, a warm and happy laugh that just didn't seem to reach his eyes, there was no sparks in them as he laughed at his question.

"Forgive me but many know whom you are, you look like a king of men" Was Greenleaf's only reply before a sound from outside the cave made him hold his breath, too scared to dare to make a sound.

It seemed something had found them and it was hungry.

Though exactly what it was Estel couldn't be sure.

Cliffhanger.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Estel looked from the entrance of the cave to Greenleaf who had stood up, gesturing to him that he should too, so he did with a slightly more un-quiet movement than Greenleaf but no matter, he didn't wish for whatever it was that was outside to come any closer towards them and maybe kill them.

"What may follow us?" Estel asked moving closer towards the older elf feeling that he was like a sort of father figure for him and would save him if need be.

"I know not" Grennleaf replied before continuing "Though the smell is of that of Rivendell."

Estel looked up at Greenleaf wondering how it could be people from Rivendell when they had made a loud noise like a wild animal, was Greenleaf lying to him or was this to save him the problem of worrying about what was outside the cave.

"You may go check it out yourself if you do not believe me" Greenleaf replied in a somewhat snappy tone making it sound as if he did not like people saying that he was wrong.

"I believe..." Estel started to say before a familiar voice filled the air.

"Estel, Estel, may you be here, answer please." It was Elrond. He was being searched for.

Estel looked back at Greenleaf before grabbing the older's hand and dragging him to the foot of the cave before stepping out seeing Elrond just come around the corner to head towards the cave but stopped upon seeing Estel.

"Estel" Elrond cried and Estel yelled Elrond's name running towards the elf who caught him in a hug not letting him go.

"Why may you run from home, Estel?" Elrond asked him once he was sure that the young human was okay as he insisted he was.

"I am no elf, therefore I should not live with them" Estel replied looking up at his foster-father before looking back at Greenleaf and he saw that Elrond looked in that direction as well.

"Nay you be wrong, young Estel you are whatever you wish to be" Elrond said looking at his foster son before looking back at Greenleaf once more pondering whether or not to ask who he was before coming to the decision that it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Who may that be, Estel?"

Estel looked over at Greenleaf his smile widening into a large grin as he watched the older elf awkwardly scratch the nape of his neck, obviously waiting to be introduced

"Greenleaf" Estel said to his foster father causing Greenleaf to jump before slowly walking towards Elrond and Estel just as Elladan and Elrohir came from around the corner and Elrohir was limping on one foot he had obviously been the one who had shouted after stumping his toe on something but even Estel thought that elf's were supposed to be grace-full but then again, maybe not them all.

After some hesitant introductions, Estel looked up at his foster father and uttered the words that he knew may come from the young man's lips.

"May Greenleaf travel to Rivendell with us?"

Elrond looked between his son and Greenleaf before giving a nod and a smile which caused Estel to smile back and he could see a faint smile hidden behind Greenleaf's mask.

And this my friends is where our extraordinary amazing story begins.

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